Document coder

ABSTRACT

A document coder for selectively removing teeth projecting from the bottom edge of a card, thereby encoding the card, including an elongated horizontally disposed block having a slot in its upper surface for receiving and guiding the tooth-bearing edge of a card to be coded, and having a plurality of transverse horizontally disposed bores which communicate with both the exterior of the block and the card edge guide slot. Also included are a plurality of punch and die assemblies. Each assembly has a tubular bushing which is positioned within one of the transverse bores of the guide block and which is provided with a cross-slot both aligned with the card edge guide slot and communicating with a cylindrical bore formed in the bushing. The assemblies each further include a cylindrical punch slidably positioned within the bushing bore. The punch removes a card tooth registered in the bushing cross-slot when the punch cutting surface moves relative thereto. In a preferred form, the punch cutting surface makes angles of approximately 75* and 90* with vertical and horizontal planes passing through the punch axis, respectively. Also included in the coder is a spring biased card lock which is secured to a plate which defines a card insertion slot, and which has a gripper biased into the slot through an aperture in the plate for engaging the face of an inserted card and locking it therein. A movably mounted plate positioned in the card slot biases one of the vertical edges of an inserted card in a horizontal direction to properly align the card against a card registration surface located adjacent the other vertical card edge.

United States Patent 91 Bucy et al.

[ Oct. 16, 1973 DOCUMENT CODER [75] Inventors: Thomas R. Bucy, Dayton; Daniel J.

Bandenburg, Cincinnati, both of Ohio [52] 11.8. CI. 269/254 R, 234/128, 271/58 [51] Int. CL... G06k 13/00, G06k 13/06, B25b 1/06 [58] Field of Search 83/917; 197/135 R,

197/135 A, 136; 234/128-130; 269/254 R, Y 254 CS; 271/46, 58-60 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,471,333 10/1923 Herr 269/254 R 2,529,452 11/1950 Janes et a1. 269/254 R 3,072,397 l/1963 Kelchner 271/60 X 3,389,905 6/1968 Boggs 271/59 3,616,889 11/1971 Kley 197/135 R Primary ExaminerDonald G. Kelly Assistant Examiner-Neil Abrams Attorney-Wood, Herron & Evans [57] ABSTRACT A documentcoder for selectively removing teeth projecting from the bottom edge of a card, thereby encoding the card, including an elongated horizontally disposed block having a slot in its upper surface for receiving and guiding the tooth-bearing edge of a card to be coded, and having a plurality of transverse horizontally disposed bores which communicate with both the exterior of the block and the card edge guide slot. Also included are a plurality of punch and die assemblies. Each assembly has a tubular bushing which is positioned within one of the transverse bores of the guide block and which is provided with a cross-slot both aligned with the card edge guide slot and communicating with a cylindrical bore formed in the bushing. The assemblies each further include a cylindrical punch slidably positioned within the bushing bore. The punch removes a card tooth registered in the bushing cross-slot when the punch cutting surface moves relative thereto. In a preferred form, the punch cutting surface makes angles of approximately 75 and 90 with vertical and horizontal planes passing through the punch axis, respectively. Also included in the coder is a spring biased card lock which is secured to a plate which defines a card insertion slot, and which has a gripper biased into the slot through an aperture in the plate for engaging the face of an inserted card and locking it therein. A movably mounted plate positioned in the card slot biases one of the vertical edges of an inserted card in a horizontal direction to properly align the card against a card registration surface located adjacent the other vertical card edge.

1 Claim, 20 Drawing Figures Patented Oct. 16,1973 3,765,669

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Oct. 16; 1973 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Palen'led Oct. 16,1973 3,765,669

5 Sheets-Sheet A Patented Oct. 16, 1973 3,765,669

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 DOCUMENT CODER This is a division of U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 833,080 filed, June 13, 1969 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,622,067.

This invention relates to coders, and more particularly to coders which encode documents, such as cards, by selectively removing one or more teeth formed on the card edge.

In order that the coder of this invention, and the advantages it affords, can be more easily understood the coder is described in connection with its use in a particular mechanized data retrieval system with which it possesses an unusually high degree of utility. Specifically, the coder of this invention is described in connection with the retrieval system disclosed and claimed in the co-pending patent application of Robert D. Parry for Article Selection System," filed Aug. 4, 1967, U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 661,758 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,478,887. In accordance with a preferred form of the Parry system, a plurality of rectangular cards are provided on which data may be stored in the form of printed information, micro-film or the like. Each card includes a plurality of saw-tooth or ramp-shaped tooth formed along one edge of the card, preferably the lower edge. To facilitate retrieval, the cards are encoded by selectively removing, or notching, one or more of the teeth located along the card edge. The cards once encoded are randomly stored in a unique card selecting apparatus in face-toface relation with their encoded tooth-bearing edges lowermost. With the cards so stored, the encoded edges are operatively associated with a plurality of transverse card sorting bars which form part of the selecting apparatus. The sorting bars cooperate with the card teeth, permitting all cards to be simultaneously searched and one or more desired cards having a predetermined removed tooth pattern to be physically separated from the remaining undesired cards not having the predetermined removed tooth pattern.

In designing a coder capable of selectively removing, or notching, the encodable tooth formed on the cards used in the Parry retrieval system, a number of criteria must be satisfied if the coder is to be commercially feasible. For example, the coder must be made as inexpensively as possible consistent with reliable operation. Additionally, the punch and die assemblies of the coder, which in actuality perform the tooth notching, should be susceptive of easy and inexpensive replacement when they become dull. Finally, the coder should have simply constructed and easily operated means for properly locating and positively gripping a card when inserted into the coder.

It has been an objective of this invention to provide a commercially feasible card coder which is inexpensive and simple in design, and permits easy replacement of the punch and die assemblies when dull. This objective has been accomplished in accordance with certain principles of this invention by providing a coder which includes the very novel and unobvious combination of an elongated card edge support block having therein a slot configured to receive and guide the tooth-bearing edge of a card to be notched, and a plurality of notching assemblies removably located in suitably provided bores in the guide block which communicate with the card edge guide slot. The notching assemblies each include a tubular body removably received in one of the bores of the card guide block. The tubular body has an internal bore therein, and a cross-slot therethrough which communicates with the internal bore and is configured to receive therein a tooth to be removed. The notching assemblies each further include a punch slidably positioned within the internal bore of the tubular body, and having a cutting surface cooperating with the cross-slot for removing the tooth registered therein when the punch slides within the bore.

An advantage of a coder incorporating the foregoing concept is that the notching assemblies can be easily replaced when they become dull. It is only necessary to remove the dull punch and die from its associated bore in the card guide block, and insert a new one. A further advantage of the coder of this invention, particularly the novel and unobvious punch and die, is that the punch is always assured of alignment with the die. The body within which the punch slides and is guided also serves to accommodate the die. Since the die is formed integral with the punch guide means, namely, the body in which the punch slides, the punch is always in proper alignment with the die.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the cross-slotted tubular body constituting the punch guide and die is in the form of a bushing, and the punch is in the form of a cylinder slidably received in the bushing bore. An advantage of such a punch and die construction is that it permits inexpensive screw machine parts to be utilized, and the die cross-slot provided with a minimum of machining, thereby keeping the cost of the punch and die assemblies within reasonable limits.

In accordance with certain additional principles of this invention, the cutting surface of the punch is oriented such that it makes angles of approximately and with respect to imaginary vertical and horizontal planes passing through the axis of a horizontally disposed punch. It has been discovered that with a punch cutting surface so angled, the power required to selectively notch a card tooth is only approximately onethird as much as that required when the punch assumes other angular orientations such as when rotated 90 from the preferred angulation.

It has been a further objective of this invention to provide, in a coder wherein the card to be encoded moves past a series of stationary notching assemblies, a card transport with has simple and effective means for positively registeringand locking a card in proper.

position relative to a suitable disposed card locating surface. This objective has been accomplished in accordance with certain additional principles of this invention by providing, in combination with a pair of parallel plates spaced to define a card insertion slot, a third plate movably mounted between the pair of slotdefining plates. The movably mounted plate is biased to engage the vertical edge of a card inserted into the slot defined by the spaced plates and urge the card such that the opposite vertical edge thereof registers against the suitable provided card locating surface. Also provided is a spring-biased gripper mounted on the outside of one of the slot-defining plates. The spring-biased gripper has a gripping member projecting through an aperture in the plate for selectively locking in the slot the inserted and properly located card.

These and other objectives and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rear of the card notcher of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the card transport incrementing mechanism utilized with the card notcher.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the front of the card notcher.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the card notcher.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the card notcher.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6, but taken along a line perpendicular to that of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the punch and die, showing the orientation of the cutting surface of the punch relative to the die.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 4, further illustrating the punch actuating means.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 4, illustrating a card that may be notched in accordance with the principles of this invention.

FIGS. llA-l ID are diagrammatic illustrations of a card, showing the manner in which it is notched on a field-by-field basis.

FIGS. 12A-12F are diagrammatic illustrations of a card tooth, showing the manner in which the tooth is successively sheared along a base line by the punch and die of the preferred coder embodiment.

For the purpose of more clearly understanding the structure and operation of the coder of this invention, the preferred embodiment thereof is disclosed in conjunction with its use to notch a particular type of card in conjunction with which is possesses an extraordinarily high degree of utility. Specifically, the coder of this invention is disclosed in connection with its use to notch a card 23 depicted in FIGS. 10 and llA-llD, particularly, to notch the lower edge 230 of the card which also has a leading edge 23a and a trailing edge 23b. The lower edge 230 of the card 23, prior to edge notching in the coder of this invention is provided with a plurality of saw-tooth or ramp-shaped teeth T, separated by complimentary saw-tooth or ramp-shaped registration notches or spaces S. Each of the teeth T constitute a code notchable site, and by removal or nonremoval of the tooth T can be encoded. Preferably the code notchable edge 230 of the card 23 is provided with 45 codable teeth T, comprising nine interleaved fields of five code notchable teeth T per field. The first field includes teeth designated a,, b 0 d,, and e the second field comprises teeth 0 b 0 and e and the ninth field comrpises teeth 0 b,,, c d and e The teeth T of each field are selectively notched on a fieldby-field basis by the coder of this invention in a manner to be described in detail hereafter.

A preferred embodiment of a card edge notching coder, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 constituting a perspective view of the rear and front thereof, is seen to include a stationary main frame member 10. The main frame member 10 is provided with a plurality of suitable dimensioned and configured locating surfaces for locating and supporting the various components of the coder in operative association with each other. Secured to the front of the main frame 10 is a subframe 12 having an elongated generally horizontally disposed dual purpose block 13. Subframe 12 also includes upstanding side columns 14 and 15 which are integral with the dual purpose block 13 and located at the ends thereof. The dual purpose block 13 is provided with a longitudinal card edge guide slot 16 open at the top and having a bottom surface 17 against which rests the notchable edge 23c of a suitably inserted card 23. The dual purpose block further includes a plurality of equally spaced transverse through bores 18-1 to 18-5 positioned within each of which are tooth notching punch and die assemblied 19-1 and 19-5, to be described.

The coder further includes a card transport 22 which is adapted to transport a card 23, properly inserted therein, in the direction of arrow 25a for the purpose of sequentially registering the code notchable teeth T in operative assocation with the tooth notching punch and die assemblies 19-1 to 19-5. The card transport 22 includes generally planar front and rear plates 27 and 28. The plates 27 and 28, which are approximately parallel to each other, are spaced from each other, forming a card-receiving slot 29, by vertically disposed spacing plates 30 and 31 sandwiched between the plates 27 and 28 at opposite ends thereof. Projecting from the rear surface 32 of the rear plate 28 are a pair of guide blocks 33 and 34. Formed in the guide blocks 33 and 34 are upper and lower guide bores 33a, 33b and 34a, 34b, respectively. Upper and lower parallel guide rods 36 and 37, the opposite ends of which are mounted by the opposite side columns 14 and 15, pass through the upper guide bores 33a and 34a and the lower guide bores 33b and 34b, respectively, of the guide blocks 33 and 34. The guide blocks 33 and 34, in combination with the guide rods 36 and 37, mount the card transport 22 for bidirectional transverse sliding motion in the direction of arrows 25a and 25b. A shoulder 35 formed on the upper guide rod 36 abuts the guide block 34, limiting movement of the card transport 22 in the direction of arrow 25a.

A card positioner 40 located in the card slot 29 is adapted to engage the leading edge 23a of a card 23 inserted into the slot 29 and urge it in the direction of arrow 25b, thereby abutting the trailing edge 23b against the inner edge 30a of the spacer 30 which functions as a card locating surface. The card positioner 40 includes a generally trapozoidal shaped plate 41 having a thickness slightly less than the width of the card insertion slot 29 as established by the distance between the front surface of plate 28 and the rear surface of plate 27 which surfaces face each other and cooperate to form the card insertion slot 29. The plate 41 is pivotally mounted at its upper lefthand corner, as viewed in FIG. 3, by a pin 42 anchored in the plate 28. Formed in the righthand vertical marginal edge portion 43 of the plate 41 is a slot 44 (FIG. 4) which receives a portion of the leading edge 23a of a card 23 properly inserted in the slot 29. A leaf spring 45 secured to the upper portion of the inner edge of the spacer 31 spring biases the plate 41 in a counterclockwise direction about the mounting pin 42, as viewed in FIG. 3. With the plate 41 so pivotally biased a card 23 properly inserted in the slot 29, with its leading edge 23a in the slot 44 of the plate 41, will be urged in the direction of arrow 25b to cause the trailing edge 23b of the card to abut the card registration surface 300 of the spacer 30.

A card locking device generally indicated by the reference numeral 50 is provided to lock in place against the front surface of the plate 28 a card properly positioned in the slot 29 with its trailing edge 23b and bottom edge 23c in contact with the registration surfaces 30a and 17, respectively. The card lock 50 includes a pair of vertical leaf springs 51 and 52. The upper ends of the leaf springs 51 and 52 are secured to and slightly spaced from the front surface of the front plate 27 by suitable fasteners 53 and 54 and spacers 55 and 56. Secured to the lower ends of the leaf springs 51 and 52 are hemispherical gripping members 57 and 58 which are aligned with oversized holes 59 and 60 formed in the plate 27. A horizontal cam rod 62 mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis by a pair of guide blocks 63 and 64 projecting from the front surface of the plate 27 is provided with a pair of spaced kinks 65 and 66 disposed between leaf springs 51 and 52 and the plate 27.

In operation, when the cam rod 62 is rotated in the direction of arrow 68 the kinks 65 and 66 urge the leaf springs 51 and 52 away from the plate 27 which in turn retracts the grippers 57 and 58 to permit a card 23 to be fully inserted into the slot 29. When the cam rod 62 is rotated in the direction 69, following insertion of a card 23 into the slot 29, the leaf springs 51 and 52 return to their inner position more closely spaced relative to the plate 27, enabling the grippers 57 and 58 to project through their associated holes 59 and 60 and urge the inserted card against the front surface of the rear plate 28 to lock the inserted card in position.

To enable the cam rod 62 to be rotated in the direc tion of arrow 68 from its normal position, wherein it is urged in the direction of arrow 69 by the leaf springs 51 and 52 which are biased against the kinks 65 and 66, a dual purpose actuator generally indicated by the reference numeral 70 is provided (FIG. 3). The actuator 70 includes a vertically disposed lever 71 which is pivotally mounted at its approximate midpoint by a pin 72 anchored in the spacer 31. A pin 73 also anchored in the spacer 31 passes through an arcuate slot 74 formed in the lower portion of the lever 71 and serves to limit the pivotal motion of the lever. Extending rightwardly from the lower end of the lever 71 and integral therewith is an ear 75. Connected to the free end of the car 75 is a cam 76 which cooperates with a downwardly extending end 77 of the cam rod 62 which, relative to the cam 76, functions as a cam follower.

In operation, when it is desired to return the card transport 22 from a leftmost position (not shown) whereat the card transport resides at the end of a card notching operation, to the rightmost position, as viewed in FIG. 3 whereat the card transport resides at the beginning of a card notching operation, the upper end of the lever 71 is urged to the right. The application of force in a rightward direction to the upper end of the lever 71 slides the card transport to the right in the direction of arrow 25b, and pivots the lever clockwise about the pin 31 to urge the cam follower 77 outwardly which in turn rotates the cam rod 62 in the direction of arrow 68 to retract and disengage the grippers 57 and 58.

With the card transport 22 in its rightmost position, as viewed in FIG. 3, and the grippers 57 and 58 in their retracted and disengaged position, a card 23 is inserted into the slot 29. When the card is properly inserted with itstrailing edge 23b and bottom edge 230 registered against the surfaces 30a and 17, the lever 71 is rotated counterclockwise about the pin 31 enabling the cam follower 77 to return to its innermost position which in turn enables the cam rod 62 to rotate in the direction of arrow 69 and effectively engage the grippers 57 and 58 with the inserted card to lock the card in the desired position.

The tooth notch punch and die assemblies 19-1 to 19-5 are identical in construction and each include, as depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7, a hollow tubular bushing 80 of generally cylindrical configuration having an outer cylindrical surface 81 and an inner cylindrical bore 82. A flange 83 is integral with and extends radially from the inner end of the bushing 80. The diameter of the cylindrical bushing surface 81 is dimensioned to snugly and slidingly interflt in the bore 18. The flange 83 is appropriately countersunk in the rear surface 84 of the block 13. The periphery of the flange 83 is provided with a semi-cylindrical axially extending slot 85 which mates with a similarly disposed semi-cylindrical threaded slot 79 formed in the block 13. Slots 79 and 85 combine to form a threaded cylindrical opening for a locating and locking threaded fastener 78 which locks the bushing 80 in the bore 18 and locates it in proper angular orientation.

Slidably positioned within the bore 82 of the bushing 80 is a cylindrical punch 87. The outer end of the punch is provided with an angulated planar surface 88. As best shown in FIG. 6, the planar surface 88 preferably makes an angle A of 75 with an imaginary plane passing vertically through the axis 89 of the punch 87 and an angle B of 90 with an imaginary plane 91 passing horizontally through the punch axis.

A cross-slot 93 is formed in the bushing 80 in alignment with the card insertion slot 29 and the slot 16. The depth of the cross-slot 93 is such that the bottom portions 94 thereof are flush with, or slightly below, the bottom surface 17 of the card edge guide slot 16. The thickness of the slot 93 measured in the axial direction of the bushing 80 is preferably equal to the width of the card insertion slot 29 measured in the same direction. The diameter of the punch 87 is selected such that, when the bushing 80 is positioned as indicated relative to the bottom surface 17 of the card edge guide slot 16, the upper edge 96 of the punch shears the tooth T, registered in cross-slot 93, of a properly inserted card 23 whose bottom and trailing edges 23c and 23b are resting against surfaces 17 and 30a at the tooth base on a slightly arcuate shear line 97 (FIG. 10).

Removal of a tooth T properly registered in the crossslot 93 (FIGS. 10 and 12A 12F) is effected by moving the punch 87 axially within the bore 82 from the solid line position shown in FIG. 6 to the dotted line position. Movement of the punch 87 in this manner shears the tooth T from the bottom edge 23c of the card 23 along the arcuate base line 97. Because the planar surface 88 of the punch is angled as previously described, the base portions of the tooth T located along line 97 are sheared sequentially, starting at the corner 101 of the tooth and moving transversely in the direction of arrow 100 along the base line 97 until the opposite corner 102 is reached. This sequential shearing of the tooth T along the arcuate base line 97, starting at corner 101 and advancing in the direction of arrow 100 until corner 102 is reached, whereat the tooth is entirely severed, is best shown in the time staggered sequence of FIGS. 12A 12F.

It has been discovered that with the punch end surface 88 angled as described, producing the sequential cutting action depicted in FIGS. 12A 12F, the

amount of power required to shear a tooth T along the base line 97, and thereby effectively notch the card tooth, is approximately one-third (33 percent) of the amount of power required to remove the same tooth with the same punch and die when the punch and die are oriented such that the surface 88, instead of being angled as described previously, is angled such that the surface 88 makes an angle of 75 with the horizontal imaginary surface 91 and an angle of 90 with the vertical imaginary surface 90. Stated differently, it has been discovered that by rotating the punch 87 90 about its axis 89 to the position described previously, wherein the surface 88 makes an angle of 75 with the vertical imaginary surface 90 and an angle of 90 with the horizontal imaginary surface 91, the power requirements necessary to remove, notch, or sever a tooth T are only one-third (33 percent) as much as are required when the punch 87 is oriented such that the surface 88 makes an angle of 75 with a horizontal imaginary surface 91 and an angle of 90 with the vertical imaginary surface It is significant to note that because the transverse slot 93, which in combination with the punch 87 acts as a die, is formed in the bushing 80, and because the bushing slidably receives the punch 87 within its bore 82, the punch 87 is always in proper alignment with the die cross-slot. Thus, the bushing 80 performs the very important dual purpose of functioning as a die, when provided with a cross-slot, and guiding the punch 87 relative to the die cross-slot 93, assuring proper registration of the punch and die. Additionally, by virtue of using a cross-slotted bushing as both the die and the punch guide means, when the die cross-slot becomes dull, replacement thereof is easily made by merely disengaging the locking and locating screw 78. This permits the bushing to be withdrawn and a new bushing substituted therefor. Finally, the combined punch guide and die bushing can be fabricated by slotting a standard screw machine bushing, enabling the cost of the combined die and punch guide to be kept to an absolute minimum.

To selectively actuate the punches 87 a plurality of punch actuating mechanisms 105-1 to 105-5 are provided. As best seen in FIGS. 3, 9 and 10, the punch actuating mechanisms 105-1 to 105-5 are of identical construction, and each include a lever 106 disposed in an aperture 107 formed in a horizontal plate 108 of the main frame 10. The lever 106 is mounted for pivotal movement about a horizontally disposed rod 109 secured to the bottom surface 110 of the frame plate 108. The upper end of the lever 106 is forked, providing a pair of parallel upstanding yoke ears 111 between which is positioned the end 113 of the punch 87. The yoke ears 111 are provided with slots 114 which receive the opposite ends of a pin 115 which passes transversely'through the end 113 of the punch 87. The pin 1 establishes a driving connection between the yoke ears 111 and the punch 87.

The lower portion of the lever 106 provides a downwardly extending finger or strap 117. Cooperating with the lever- 106 is a solenoid 120 having a horizontally shiftable core 121 which has its outer end slotted to receive the depending strap 117. A pin 122 passing through the solenoid core 121 and having its central portion positioned in a slot 123 formed in the strap 117 establishes a driving connection between the solenoid core 121 and the lever 106.

A tensioned coil spring 124 connected between one of the upper yoke ears 111 and a stationary bracket 125 secured to the upper surface of the plate 108 of the main frame plate biases the lever 106 in a counterclockwise direction about the rod 109, as viewed in FIG. 9. With the lever 106 so biased the punch 87 is normally urged to the retracted position shown in solid lines in FIG. 6. Actuation of the punch 87 to advance it to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 6 is effected by energizing the solenoid 120, which retracts the core 121 moving it to the right as viewed in FIG. 9. This pivots the lever 106 counterclockwise advancing the punch 87 to the left as viewed in FIG. 9. Advancement of the punch 87 shears a tooth T properly positioned in the manner described previously. upon deenergization of the solenoid 120, the spring 124 returns the lever 106 and the punch 87 to their normal positions shown in FIG. 9. An elongated ridge 129 projecting upwardly from the upper surface of the frame plate 108 and common to each of the levers 106 of punch actuators 105-1 to 105-5 is provided to limit the counterclockwise return motion of the levers 106 under the action of the spring 124. Preferably the ridge 129 is covered with a suitable layer of resilient material 130 to reduce wear of the parts and the level of noise accompanying punch actuation.

In operation, to effect notching of the nine fields of five teeth each on a field-by-field basis a card 23 is inserted in the slot 29 and its lower and side edges 23c and 23b urged against the surfaces 17 and 30a. With the card transport positioned in its rightmost position, as viewed in FIG. 3, the punches 87 of the punch and die assemblies 19-1 to 19-5 are aligned with the notch sites a,, b,, 0,, d,, and e of the first field. Selective notching of the teeth a,, b,, 0,, d and e, of the first field is effected by selective energization of the solenoids of the actuators 105-1 to 105-5 in any well-known manner. For example, selective energization of the solenoids 120-1 to 120-5 may be accomplished by using a keyboard console and control circuit constructed in accordance with the principles disclosed and claimed in the co-pending application of Kalthoff et al entitled Console and Control Circuit," filed Apr. 4, I966, U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 539,792, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. When one or more of the teeth designated a 12,, c,, d,, and e of the first field have been notched, the card transport 22 is advanced in the direction of arrow 25a a distance equal to the width of one tooth. This changes the relationship of the punches 87-1 to 87-5 relative to the teeth T of the card edge 230 from that shown in FIG. 10 wherein the punches are aligned with the teeth a,, b,, c 41,, and e, of the first field to that shown diagramatically in FIG. 11A, wherein the punches 87-1 to 87-5 are aligned with the teeth designated a 12,, 0 d and e, of the second field. With the cards and punches aligned as shown in FIG. 11A the solenoids 120-1 to 120-5 are again selectively energized to activate the punches 87-1 to 87-5 and notch or remove the desired teeth of a 12,, 0 d and e of the second field. When the desired teeth have been notches in the second field the card transport 22 is again shifted in the direction of arrow 25a a distance of one tooth width, aligning the teeth a b;,, c d;, and e of the third field with the punches 87-1 to 87-5, as shown in FIG. 11B. The sequence of solenoid energization and tooth notching, and thereafter card shifting a width of one tooth, continues until the teeth a,,, b,,, c,,,

d, and e,, of the ninth field have been notched as shown in FIG. 11D.

A chip collector 131 detachably secured to the front of the main frame and sub-frame l2 collects the teeth removed from the cards 23 during the tooth notching operation.

To facilitate shifting the card transport 22 in the direction of arrow 25a in increments of one tooth width an incrementing device 135 is provided which is constructed in accordance with the principles disclosed in the co-pending application of Kalthoff et al. entitled Coder," U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 539,708 filed Apr. 4, 1966, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The incrementing device 135 includes a first lever 136 which is generally horizontally disposed and pivotally mounted about a pin 137 anchored in the rear surface 32 of the plate 28. The lever 136 is provided with a downwardly extending detent 136a at its free end. The incrementing device 135 additionally includes a generally horizontally disposed lever 138 which is mounted for horizontal sliding movement a distance of one tooth width relative to the lever 136. This slidable mounting of the lever 138 relative to the lever 136 is accomplished by providing a longitudinal slot 139 in the lever 136, and a pair of pins 140 anchored in the lever 138 which project rearwardly and engage the slot 139. The length of the slots 139 is sufficient to permit the lever 138 to move relative to the lever 136 a distance equal to the width of one tooth T. A tension spring 142 connected between the guide block 34 and the lever 138 urges the lever 138 to the right relative to the lever 136, as viewed in FIG. 2, and additionally tends to maintain both levers horizontally disposed.

The incrementing device 135 also includes a multitooth detent block 144. Detent block is mounted for pivotal movement with the guide rod 37, the guide block being rotatable in columns 14 and 15. The detent block 144 has nine teeth t t corresponding to the nine fields of teeth on the card. The teeth t -tg on the detent block 144 are spaced at increments equal to the width of the teeth T of the card. Alternate rotation of the guide rod 37, and hence of the detent block 144, in direction 145 and 146 is effective to increment the card transport 22 the width of one tooth notch T, in a manner to be described. To rotate guide rod 37 a solenoid 147 having a retractable armature 148 is provided. The armature 148 is pinned to the free end of a lever 149 the other end of which is fixed to the rotatable guide shaft 37. The lever 149 is normally biased upwardly by a tension spring 150 connected between the lever 149' and a tab 151 secured to the guide rod 36. A stationary abutment 152 secured to the main frame 10 limits the upward motion of the lever 149.

With the solenoid 147 de-energized the detent block 144 is angled such that the detent 1380 of lever 138 engages one of the teeth t,-t of the detent block 144. To increment the card transport 23 the solenoid 147 is momentarily energized. This retracts the core 148 which in turn pivots the detent block 144 in the direction of arrow 145 via the link 149 and guide rod 37 (FIG. 2). When the detent block 144 momentarily pivots in the direction of arrow 145 the tooth z, of detent block 144 which was engaged with the detent 138a of the lever 138 now becomes engaged with the detent 136a of the lever 136. Detent 138a is now disengaged with respect to detent block tooth t With the detent block tooth l engaged with the detent 136a of'lever 136, the lever 138 is free to move rightwardly relative to the lever 136 under the action of tension spring 142. When the lever 138 moves to the right relative to the lever 136 its detent 138a advances the width of one tooth as established by the length of the slot 139, aligning the disengaged detent 138a of th lever 138 with the successive tooth t of the detent block 144. At this point the detents 136a and 138a are spaced by a distance equal to one tooth width, with the detent block tooth t engaged with the detent 136a of lever 136.

Now when the solenoid 147 is de-energized and the tension spring pivots the detent block 144 in the direction of arrow 146, the detent block tooth t, which was engaged with the detent 136a of lever 136 becomes disengaged and the successive tooth of the detent block 144 which was aligned but disengaged with the detent tooth 138a now becomes engaged with the detent tooth 138a. Since the lever 138 is relatively movable with respect to the plate 28, and hence with respect to the card transport 22, the plate 28 shifts in the direction of arrow 25a a distance of one tooth width, that is, the distance defined by the length of the slots 139, until the pins 140 engage the opposite ends of the slots 139. A tension spring 155 connected between column 14 and bracket 156 secured to plate 28 advances the card transport 22. At this point the card transport 22 has advanced the width of one tooth notch and the detent 138a of the lever 138 is engaged with the second tooth t of the detent block 144 and both detents 136a and 138a are aligned. The card transport 122 is sequentially incremented by repeating the foregoing process through successive momentary energizations of the solenoid 147.

To reposition the card transport 22 in the'leftmost position, as viewed in FIG. 1, to engage detent block tooth 23,, with detent 138a corresponding to the position prior to initiation of a card notching cycle, the'lever 71 is urged to the left (FIG. 1), moving the card transport in the same direction To permit such movement, without interference from detent block 144 and lever detents 138a and 136a, the levers 136 and 138 pivot counterclockwise about pin 137 as the card transport moves leftwardly (FIG. 1).

We claim:

1. A card holding device comprising:

first and second substantially planar plates spaced apart in substantial parallelism to form therebetween a card insertion slot, said plates having top and bottom edges and opposite side edges, said second plate having an aperture therein;

a card gripper positionable in said aperture;

means biasing said gripper into said slot to lock a card in said slot between said gripper and said first plate, said biasing means including a leaf spring mounted to said second plate and said gripper; actuating means, including a cam member positionable between said second plate and said leaf spring, mounted for movement relative to said second plate between a first position wherein said actuating means prevents said gripper from locking a card inserted in said slot and a second position wherein said actuating means enables said gripper to lock a card inserted in said slot. 

1. A card holding device comprising: first and second substantially planar plates spaced apart in substantial parallelism to form therebetween a card insertion slot, said plates having top and bottom edges and opposite side edges, said second plate having an aperture therein; a card gripper positionable in said aperture; means biasing said gripper into said slot to lock a card in said slot between said gripper and said first plate, said biasing means including a leaf spring mounted to said second plate and said gripper; actuating means, including a cam member positionable between said second plate and said leaf spring, mounted for movement relative to said second plate between a first position wherein said actuating means prevents said gripper from locking a card inserted in said slot and a second position wherein said actuating means enables said gripper to lock a card inserted in said slot. 